


don't put the blame on me

by the_bisexual_disaster



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Calamity, but like at the end, it'll make sense I swear, morally grey link, revali is done with this shit and also with ghirahim, role swap but only sort of, the champions are alive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:08:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28813935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_bisexual_disaster/pseuds/the_bisexual_disaster
Summary: “Where is he?” Revali asked.It was a rather long time before Fi responded.“I do not know.”At that, Revali felt his heart drop to his stomach, his veins flooded with ice. If this being, created by the Goddess herself didn’t know where she was…What the hell happened to Link?
Relationships: Link/Revali (Legend of Zelda), Revali & Fi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 80





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> heyyyy! i'd say im back on my bullshit but was i ever really off it in the first place?  
> shoutout to my wonderful friend ambrose (IM SORRY I DONT KNOW YOUR AO3) for the prompt and also for being my beta!

Revali was angry

No, scratch that.

Revali was _furious._

The Champions were meant to be a team. They were the closest thing he ever remembered having to a family. He understood being angry but their reactions were rather overkill, in his opinion. Not that he cared. If Link wanted to run off and do his own thing, he should be able to. However, that was not what was making Revali so angry.

This particular woods was dense. Thorny bushes and sharp branches caught on Revali’s feathers and clothes. He’d long since abandoned the path and now he wasn’t so sure if he’d be able to make his way back to it, what with the sun beginning to set and the persistent clouds that stretched across the sky. 

Revali never liked travelling. What was the point of walking for hours at a time when you could _fly_? It was much faster and far more practical. However, since he was looking for something specific, flying was out of the question, since he might miss what he was looking for.

He didn’t even know what he was looking for in the first place.

For weeks, he’s felt a kind of pull in his mind. It reminded him of when he first learned about Vah Medoh, perched on the highest point above Rito Village. This, however, was weaker than the bond he’d formed with Medoh, almost like it wasn’t meant to exist. Instead of feeling like he was drawn to something, it felt like someone was calling for him, asking him to come help them.

For the past two days. Revali had been following the voice in his head. It was stronger now, maybe more so than it had ever been before, so he had to be close. 

As he tore free of yet another cluster of brambles, he began to wonder about this voice. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he’d actually gone insane and was following nothing more than a figment of his imagination. He shoved it further back, having dealt enough with magic and connections in his life to know better. The voice was unfamiliar, different, foreign, and ancient. At this point, all Revali wanted to do was find whatever was making this goddess-damned noise just so he could shut it up. It was putting him on edge, and a nervous warrior made for a bad one.

He keeps telling himself that he no longer cares what happens to Link. It was obvious that a hundred years had changed him somehow in ways that none of them could comprehend. The princess— well, former princess now, Revali presumed— had assured them that the knight who sealed the darkness was, in fact, the young man they all remembered, but if he was, why wouldn’t he have saved them? It was his absence and awakening in this new, post-Calamity Hyrule with no more than a few words of him was what stung the most. Had their relationship meant nothing to him? In the back of his mind Revali remembered the promises they’d made to each other when Calamity Ganon returned. He remembered how Link had made him promise to live and how Revali made him promise to meet him afterwards. 

For a while after he woke in Rito Village, a hundred years later, he thought Link had died in the Calamity. Revali cursed himself for not making him promise the same thing he made Revali promise. When Zelda told them he was alive, but absent for reasons unexplained, Revali almost preferred it when he thought Link was dead. At the very least, it would’ve hurt less.

Revali supposed he needed this time away. Rito Village was no longer the home he remembered. It had familiar markings to it, for sure, but his roost was different and the people were different. They bombarded him with questions about the Calamity, about Vah Medoh, and only on his very best days could Revali bring himself to answer them. He’d taken to rising early and trying to get some practice in at the Flight Range, but Teba and his young son Tulin were there much of the time during the day. Sometimes, Revali would teach Tulin some techniques that would help the fledgling with his archery but for the most part, he left the boy’s training to his father for now. Perhaps when he’d matched Teba in skill, Revali would show him some more advanced techniques.

The voice in his head was almost overwhelming and he could hear it clear as day, as if she was right beside him, whispering in his ear.

“ _Help me, please._ ”

He pushed through one last cluster of bushes and his beak dropped when he registered what he saw.

The Master Sword had been pushed into the ground, only half of the blade visible in the dim evening light. It glowed intermittently and made a strange noise every once in a while. 

The voice in his head returned. This time, she did not say what she had been chanting for the past couple of weeks. 

“ _Take the sword._ ”

Revali stood in silence and gaped. He was never the one who was meant to hold the sword. He knew the legend, just as everyone in Hyrule did at one point. The sword was meant to be drawn by the Goddess’ chosen. Alongside the princess with the Goddess’ blood, they will be the ones to snuff out the darkness and bring light to Hyrule. The Goddess’ chosen was Link. Link is not here. The sword was calling out to Revali.

Something wasn’t right.

Hesitantly he approached the sword in the ground. He didn’t know what would happen if he pulled the sword he was never meant to wield. He didn’t even know how to properly hold it. The voice seemed to sense his distress.

“ _It will not hurt you. I need your help.”_

“How do I know I can trust you?” he asked. _How positively asinine, talking out loud to a sword,_ he thought.

“ _I thought you’d be difficult,_ ” she said, almost sounding amused. “ _Take the sword, Champion. I will explain everything._ ”

Tentatively, Revali reached out and wrapped feathered hands around the grip. It took all his strength to pull the sword from the ground, but eventually it gave and he stood, with the Master Sword in his hand.

It felt wrong.

“ _Good,_ ” the voice said. “ _My name is Fi. I was created by the Goddess to assist her Hero in his quest._ ”

“Where is he?” Revali asked.

It was a rather long time before Fi responded. 

“ _I do not know._ ”

At that, Revali felt his heart drop to his stomach, his veins flooded with ice. If this being, created by the Goddess herself didn’t know where he was…

What the hell happened to Link?


	2. Chapter 2

In hindsight, searching for the Master Sword’s sheath without the light of the sun was a terrible idea. 

Normally, Revali’s eyesight and his ability to spot things from far away was renowned by his people, but Rito eyes were not meant for the dark. He should have made camp long ago and set out to find the sheath in the morning, but leaving the sword that seals the darkness exposed to the elements all night didn’t sit right with him. In the back of his mind he knew that the sword was as old as time itself and had survived one hundred years out in the wild without so much as a chip in the blade, but knowing that there was a sentient being inside the sword who could talk and feel things and who needed his help made him more cautious with it. Besides, he would feel more comfortable if he weren’t carrying it in his hand all the time. He never thought to pick up a sword after he picked up a bow for the first time and never put it down. Granted, he could think of a few scenarios where learning hand to hand combat would be beneficial, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do so.

As he searched, Fi told him a story.

“ _A long time ago, before the history of this Hyrule began, there existed a city in the sky, where Hylians flew on the backs of Loftwings and praised the goddess Hylia with all their heart. They lived in peace until one day the clouds opened up and a girl who was Hylia’s reincarnate was pulled through to the surface. She had a friend, a young boy with the spirit of a hero chosen by the Goddess, who was destined to forge this blade into what it is now; the Master Sword. This sword was bathed in the flames of the three Golden Goddesses and blessed by Her Grace. It was used to defeat the likes of the Demon King Demise and his reincarnation, Ganondorf, the King of Thieves.”_

“Ganondorf? Was that not the original form of Calamity Ganon?” Revali mused as he searched.

“ _You are correct, Champion. Before his corruption, Ganondorf was the leader of the Gerudo, much like your own Champion Urbosa was._ ”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“ _I sense that this history has long since been forgotten in the minds of modern Hyruleans. I am simply telling you of the past of your land. Additionally, you make for good company._ ” Her voice gave away no emotion despite her words, and for a moment Revali was reminded strongly of the hero he knew, before he really knew the mask he wore and the boy behind it. 

“ _Few know of the Sword of Demise, still hidden somewhere in this land,”_ Fi continued. “ _It was once a sword of evil and hatred, but it has long since become a neutral presence in the land of Hyrule. The spirit inside it has not had a master for many millenia. To wield this sword, one would have to possess great power and strength. They would not accept anything less._ ”

“I don’t see what this has to do with finding Link,” Revali muttered to himself. He had resolved himself to settling down where he stood and making camp for the night. It was much too dark to keep looking and he needed his rest if he was to keep doing so tomorrow. He began unloading his equipment when a new presence behind him made him freeze.

“Well now, _that’s_ a form I’ve never seen you take before, Skychild.”

Revali whirled around, pulling out his bow and trying to aim while still holding on to the Master Sword. It was rather difficult, but he managed, even if it meant he could only nock two arrows instead of his usual three.

“Who are you?” he demanded, and the being in front of him laughed, despite being at the wrong end of Revali’s bow.

“Oh, me? I am but a simple traveller, meandering through these woods when I encountered you and that shiny little sword in your hand. Pray tell, could that be _the Master Sword?_ ” Their voice lowered dramatically as he leaned in. Strangely enough, they didn’t have any discernible scent.

Revali didn’t answer. He kept his bow drawn and aimed at the stranger’s head. In the dark, with his Rito eyes, he could have easily mistaken this stranger as a Hylian traveller who strayed too far from the path. However, looking at them from his current position, he could tell that this stranger was anything but Hylian. Their skin was unusually pale, as was their hair and clothes, and their eyes glowed an unnatural red. The moonlight reflecting off of their form reminded him of the sword in his hand, which was vibrating and glowing a pale blue. _What is going on?_

“I presume that means that _you_ are the Goddess’ chosen hero,” they spat, “although I never knew your little deity to choose someone quite like you to be her Champion. Usually it’s someone less… feathery.”

Revali had had enough of this fool. He loosed his arrows, knowing his aim to be true, and they embedded themselves into a tree behind where the stranger stood. They themselves had vanished in a cloud of sharp, black diamonds. He whirled his head from side to side, trying to see where they had gone, and stilled when they spoke, their mouth right against his ear.

“Unless, of course, you were looking for the one who wields that sword. I could help you find him, given the right incentive.”

“I don’t need your help,” Revali spat at them, but they merely laughed.

“Of course not. No headstrong warrior like yourself ever _needs_ help from someone like me. Unfortunately for you, we will meet again soon. Farewell, Skychild.” At that, they disappeared once more, leaving Revali alone in the dark woods with the Sword that Seals the Darkness.

“ _That,”_ Fi said, “ _was the Sword of Demise that I was telling you about.”_

“You mean to tell me that they’re a _sword?_ ”

“ _They aren’t all that different from what I am. They used to use the name Ghirahim, when they confronted and fought the Hero of the Skies. Their presence here tonight means that the Sword of Demise has been pulled from its pedestal in the Breach of Demise. We must hurry and find Master Link._ ”

“You truly don’t know where he went?”

Fi was silent for a moment as she considered.

“ _I calculate a 98% possibility that he travelled southeast.”_

“How helpful of you,” Revali muttered under his breath. He didn’t know how well a spirit created by the Goddess Hylia would take to his sarcastic remarks, and he didn’t want to find out anytime soon. Instead, he kept looking for the scabbard until the sun rose.

The feeling of the sword on his back was something so unfamiliar Revali spent the entire flight to Hateno Village contemplating throwing the sword into a lake. Perhaps leave it in a forest like he found it. If this sword wasn’t his only way to find Link, he would never have picked it up in the first place.

Fi was thankfully silent during his flight. Her only comment being one about how long it had been since she’d been so high up, which made Revali wonder about the ancient times she’d told him about. Were there more technological wonders like Vah Medoh back then? Perhaps they had a more archaic way of getting around.

He’d figured that Link’s childhood home was a good place to start. Revali remembered the time Link had begged him to come meet his family. He was so excited to introduce Revali to his little sister and his mother, but he was thankful that his father wasn’t home while Revali was there. 

He remembered that day fondly. Aryll and Telma had welcomed him into their home with open arms and warm smiles. It had been so long since Revali had any kind of family that his heart swelled at their welcome and acceptance. It was one of the few times he had ever seen Link truly smile, completely at ease and dressed in plain Hylian clothes. He’d left the Master Sword by his bed for the duration of their visit, only putting it back on when they left for the castle once more. He was given the grand tour of their admittedly small house by a very excited Aryll as Link cooked dinner with his mother. Not one of them said a word about the blue feather woven into Link’s hair that looked suspiciously like one of Revali’s, and Revali liked to think that it was because they’d accepted him. He wished that day wasn’t the only time he’d met Link’s family. He very much would have liked more days like that.

He hoped they survived the Calamity.

As he landed in Hateno, he began to take stock of all that had changed. The village was smaller, as were many settlements these days, yet the streets were lined with Hylians, local villagers and travellers alike. He took the first path he saw upon entering the village and followed it up a small hill and across a gorge to the house he remembered.

He was amazed it was still standing, although in rather rough shape. It was obvious that no one had lived there for quite some time. 

A rather burly man was swinging a sledgehammer at the wall, and Revali stopped him before he could swing again.

“What in Hylia’s name do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.

“Tearing the place down,” the man explained. “Ain’t no one lived here for some time. House has been empty my whole life.”

Revali went quiet. It _had_ been over a century since he knew for sure anyone lived here and there was no way to know for sure what had happened to Aryll and Telma after the Calamity. Perhaps Aryll’s children, or grandchildren, still lived in the village. 

That raised a question in his mind; why didn’t Link come back here? Surely the first thing on his mind would have been to make sure his family was ok. Maybe he did, but he became overwhelmed and left. 

“You’re an awful long way from home,” the man said. “What brings ya to Hateno Village?”

“Looking for someone,” Revali replied. “Could you stop for a moment? There’s something I want to do.”

“What, you want to buy this house?”

“No, no.” He didn’t have the money. “I knew the people who lived here. I want to take a look around.”

“Son, no one’s lived here in over forty years. But, I suppose, if you wanted to look around, you could wait until nightfall. We don’t work during the night and this house probably survived the Calamity itself. It’ll take a while before we finish.”

“Nightfall, then.”

“Feel free to sit by that fire and use the pot over there,” the man told him. “We always keep it burning for our breaks.”

Revali nodded his thanks and went to sit, not really all too hungry. It would be a long while before nightfall. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apparently i was overcome with the need to write about link's family. while writing this i also ranted on tumblr about champion family dinners. also, creating a champion neglects to give link a mom so i did it for them :) her name is telma because im playing twilight princess and telma's the best i love her so much  
> anyways hope you enjoyed!


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